by Anya Nowlan
“I know there’s so much more at stake here than our lives,” she said. “And I know I should have done like you said and just driven off. But I couldn’t, and if I had to do it all over again, I’d make the same decision.”
How horrible was that? This amulet she had stumbled upon could mean Loch and his buddies could pop over into their realm whenever they wanted, yet she would choose a man over keeping it safe? Tate was right, it was foolish. Worse than that, it was selfish, and shortsighted. But she couldn’t help the way she felt.
You’re a terrible person, Tessa Mayberry, she sighed to herself.
Tate’s hand slid over his seat and onto her knee, making a shiver run down her back.
“Hey, it’s all right,” he said, probably reading her guilt on her face. “It all worked out. We’re still alive, and the amulet is safe. But clearly, we need a better plan than just staying on the road until we come up with a way to permanently kick Loch’s ass.”
“You don’t happen to have one on hand, do you?” she asked with a nervous chuckle.
Tate’s features tightened, and he sighed to himself, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. He stared at it for a good while before thumbing the lock screen.
“I’m taking you home,” he finally said.
“You mean your home?” she asked.
“Yes,” he replied.
And he definitely did not sound happy about it.
Twenty-Two
Tate
The sun was just starting to rise as Tate glanced back at Tessa, asleep in the backseat. They had been driving all day and night, mostly with him behind the wheel, but she had demanded a shift or two as well.
Tate didn’t need much sleep. The wolf inside him kept him alert and awake, even when he should have been tired. Running a hand over his ribs, he winced a little. The pain wasn’t as bad as it had been right after Loch attacked them, as his shifter healing was kicking in. But it still wasn’t pleasant.
At least Tessa’s dreams had seemed to be peaceful this time. Tate imagined Loch, licking his wounds somewhere in the deep recesses of hell or wherever that creature went when he wasn’t in their world, and smiled to himself.
I might have gotten my ass kicked, but so did he.
Loch had to be down for the count, at least for a little while, and that gave Tessa a welcomed respite from the demon’s nightly visits. Tate would feel better when the connection between Loch and Tessa faded away altogether, but right now, he would take what he could get.
Tessa’s admission of caring about him still rung around in his head. He had guessed his growing feelings for her weren’t exactly one-sided, but it was good to hear her say the words.
From the rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of her face, peaceful and soft, her lips slightly parted. He wanted to trace a finger down her cheek to her jawline, bury his hands in her hair and pull her close… Not touching her was becoming a challenge, with just having her close doing things to him no other woman ever had.
It was scary, to be honest, and overwhelming. Not just because of the intensity of it all, but what it meant…
His phone buzzed in his pocket and he slowed down, fishing it out to look at the screen. It had been a good ten hours since he had first texted Sean to tell him he was heading back to Pinedale, and they had been exchanging message ever since.
What do you mean you’re not alone? You’re bringing someone with you? the text on the screen read.
The road Tate was on was familiar, Pinedale only an hour away now. His animal side sighed at the air seeping through the cracked open window, the scent of forests and dirt and other wolves. Yet the closer he got to his home, the more doubt started creeping in.
I’ll explain when I get there. Have everyone ready. Be there in an hour, he quickly typed back before tossing the phone aside.
Was he right to drag this danger that had attached to him and Tessa on his pack’s doorstep? He was reasonably sure that Loch couldn’t track them, or he would have showed up at their room in Whitefish days ago. More likely, the demon had some sort of tripwires set up at key locations, like Tessa’s apartment, and the town limits.
But he couldn’t be absolutely sure of everything.
Well, no, one thing he did know – it would take more than just him alone to keep both Tessa and the amulet safe. And where would they be safer than surrounded by a pack of wolves?
If they’ll even let me in the door, that is.
Tessa started to move around in the back, stretching her arms above her head. Tate watched her eyes flutter open, knowing he would have to explain things he didn’t want to explain to her before they got to Pinedale.
I can’t keep her in the dark on this. She needs to know what we’re walking into.
She opened her eyes, looking confused for a moment, before propping herself up.
“Hey. How long was I out?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.
“Little less than four hours,” he shrugged, making her purse her lips.
“We were supposed to be taking hour-long shifts,” she said as she arched a brow at him, leaning into the front seat.
“I don’t mind driving, and you could use some rest,” he replied with a nonchalant shrug. “No bad dreams?”
“Nope,” she said, running a hand through her hair and frowning when it got stuck in the tangles. “Wherever Loch is, I’m guessing he’s in no shape to be showing up in my subconscious.”
“It must have been satisfying, running him over like that,” Tate remarked as the sun climbed higher in the sky. “There aren’t many opportunities in life to crash your vehicle into someone, guilt-free.”
“I definitely don’t feel bad about it, that’s for sure,” Tessa scoffed. “Though I did dent the hood of your truck.”
“It’s a badge of honor,” he smiled at her, and she grinned back.
“Sadly, I don’t think that was the end of him.” She tilted her head. “He’ll be back.”
“He can’t take on a whole pack of werewolves all by himself,” Tate replied. “Demon or no demon.”
“About that…” Tessa trailed off. “You don’t sound very eager about returning to, what was it, Palmdale?”
“Pinedale,” Tate corrected. “And I was going to have to go back, eventually.”
He sighed. It was one of those deep ones that starts in the gut and feels like it could go on forever. So he wasn’t exactly looking forward to his grand homecoming…
“Because of your pack? You all have to live together?” she asked.
“It’s not a rule, exactly, more a matter of preference,” Tate replied. “There are lone wolves out there, but shifters are stronger when they’re together. A pack is like a family, or a community. We help each other out, draw on each other’s power. The wolf inside gets restless if you’re on your own for too long,” he explained.
“It must be nice, having people to lean on.”
“Sure,” he replied. “But I’m kind of in a… unique situation, over there.”
Resting her elbows on the back of the passenger seat, her attention fixed on him, and Tate knew he had better go on and get out with it.
“Packs have leaders. Alphas, we call them,” he started. “The position is passed down from generation to generation, starting from the first Alpha ever, the one that created the pack. My father was Alpha, before he died over a year ago.”
“I’m sorry,” Tessa interjected quietly.
“We, uh… weren’t on good terms,” Tate said, feeling his shoulders tense up. “Anyway, the position fell to me. There was just one problem – I didn’t want it.”
Tessa fell silent as she mulled that over. It was a lot to dump on someone who wasn’t a shifter, and didn’t know how their world worked. Still, however she would react, it felt good to come clean. All the cards were on the table, now.
“Is that a thing you can do, just turn it down?” she finally asked, her expression betraying nothing.
“It’s not unheard of, but it’s not ex
actly a popular decision,” he admitted. “It’s considered a great honor to be Alpha, so turning it down is kind of an insult. I haven’t actually officially relinquished my claim. An interim period is allowed once the previous Alpha is gone, to mourn and adjust to a new leader. But I’ve been stretching it thin.”
“So… What you’re saying is, you’re not the most popular wolf in Pinedale right now?” she asked.
“Not even close,” he replied.
“But they’re still going to take us in, right?” she asked, brow furrowing.
Tate squeezed the steering wheel tightly, hating the thought of disappointing Tessa. But he knew he had to be honest. She deserved that from him.
“I hope so,” he finally said, and Tessa fell silent.
That’s what I get for being a coward.
Twenty-Three
Tessa
Tate looked as tense as ever behind the wheel, as Tessa was desperately looking for the right words. Clearly, it hadn’t been easy for Tate to tell her all this, just the tone of his voice told her that.
Who knew being a shifter was so complicated?
She could relate to being handed down unwanted responsibilities, of course not on the scale he had to deal with. If she came to the decision she didn’t want to run her mom’s store anymore, she could just sell it.
But Tate’s situation was a lot more complex. His entire family, as it were, was depending on him, after all.
“Well, if they send us packing at the sight of a crazy lady talking about demons, we’ll just have to come up with another plan,” she announced lightly, hoping that wasn’t the wrong thing to say.
Tate’s eyes darted to her, and then back to the road.
“I think the issue will be more with me than you,” he remarked.
“Look, I won’t pretend to get all of this shifter stuff, I’m just human, after all. But it seems to me you just needed time to figure out if you want this whole Alpha thing, or not. To me, that sounds a lot more reasonable than jumping into a role you’re not sure you’re ready for or even want,” she shrugged.
Tate seemed to relax at that, if only a fraction.
“I never thought my father was a particularly good Alpha, but maybe that’s because I didn’t think him a particularly good man. But the rest of the pack respected him, despite his stubbornness, and tendency to wave his power around,” he said. “I never wanted to be the type of leader he was, but I don’t know what kind of Alpha I would want to be, either.”
“That’s a lot of weight on your shoulders. But… There must be a part of you that wants it,” she carefully added. “Or you would have refused the position, instead of leaving to think about it.”
“I think my wolf wants it more than me,” he chuckled. “But you’re right. There was something that kept me from saying ‘no’.”
“What’s holding you back, then?”
“If I were Alpha, I would be making decisions for the whole pack. Who am I to have that kind of power? What gives me the authority to lead, except for being my father’s son?” he replied, rolling his shoulders in his seat.
Tessa didn’t know what to say. Tate had always struck her as fearless, and it was odd seeing him doubt himself. She had a strong feeling his relationship with his father had something to do with it, but it wasn’t her place to grill Tate on that. Especially not after he had already revealed so much.
“I don’t have the answer for that,” she admitted, watching sunlight slide across his chiseled face.
“Neither do I. I guess I better figure it out sooner rather than later, though,” he added, pointing his chin at the sign on the side of the road that read Welcome to Pinedale.
The woods Tate maneuvered his truck through were dense, casting green shadows across the front of the vehicle. Tessa watched him turn onto roads she wouldn’t have even noticed, without any hesitation.
“You all must love your privacy,” Tessa noted, now sitting in the seat next to him and trying to make herself look less like a crazy lady with the help of the visor mirror.
Luckily, she had a comb packed in her bag, so the tangles in her hair were now mostly smoothed. She was busy arranging her locks to fall in a single braid down her back, when the trees suddenly began to clear.
“We kind of like being hard to find,” Tate shrugged in response. “They’re expecting us. Whether they’re expecting the story we have to tell is another matter.”
Houses came into view, peppering the large open space nestled into the forest. Small roads led outward and up a small hill, where the forest thinned even more, giving way to sunshine and more buildings.
“Whoa,” Tessa muttered. “It’s like a town within a forest.”
“Not all the wolves in our pack live here. Some have their own cabins even deeper in the woods, or houses closer to town.”
Tessa nodded, taking it all in, as Tate pulled the truck over. The few men she had spotted roaming around came to a stop and stared, with one of them shouting something toward the houses further away.
“That’s Sean, over there in the black shirt,” Tate said, looking over at a tall, light-haired man. “He’s been keeping me up to date on what’s going on here. In addition to pestering me to come back,” he added, one side of his face tugging upwards into a smile. “Come on, I’ll introduce you.”
Tate hopped out of the truck before she could have said anything, and rushed over to open her door. Looking at the unfamiliar faces all around her, Tessa slowly climbed out, making sure to stick by Tate’s side.
“Hey, man. Good to see you back,” Sean said, his smile revealing his dimples. “The council’s gathered in Caleb’s house, waiting. I stuck around to say hello. Man, what happened to your truck?” he asked, arching a brow at Tate’s truck.
“Hey, brother,” Tate replied, and the two men shared a quick hug, clapping each other on the back. “Now that’s… a long story.”
When they stepped away from each other, Tate gestured toward her, giving her a quick smile.
“This is Tessa,” he said. “Tessa, this is Tate.”
Reaching out to shake Sean’s hand, she was surprised when she got pulled into a hug instead.
“Any friend of Tate’s is a friend of mine,” the man said, his huge arms tight around her.
“Don’t suffocate her now,” Tate warned as Sean was already pulling away.
“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Tessa smiled, warmed by the friendly welcome.
At least he’s happy to see us.
“All right, let’s go,” Tate announced, grabbing her hand in his, as if by habit. “There’s a lot you guys need to know. Who’s taken over as council leader while I’ve been gone?” he asked, tilting his head at Sean as the three of them started up the hill.
“Caleb,” Sean replied, and the men shared a meaningful look, one that Tessa couldn’t exactly decipher.
“Well,” Tate sighed. “This ought to be interesting.”
Now that doesn’t sound good.
Twenty-Four
Tate
“And that’s when I decided I needed to come back to Pinedale,” Tate finished, standing in the middle of Caleb’s living room, surrounded by their pack’s council.
It was made up of five wolves, himself included, who the pack respected, and who the Alpha turned to for advice. Right now, they were all looking at him in loaded silence, while Tessa sat on a couch in the corner, listening to him recount everything that had happened in the last couple of days.
“After you were attacked by a demon,” Sean clarified, raising his brows at him.
“That’s right,” Tate nodded.
Caleb, a dark-haired, severe-looking man a few years older than he stood up from his seat to stare at Tate. Tate was almost sure that frown between his brows had been there ever since they played on the same playground as kids. He definitely couldn’t remember the man without it.
“Can I have a word with you, in private?” Caleb said through gritted teeth, and Tate sighed to himself.
Tessa shot him a nervous look, fidgeting with her hands in the corner. He gave her a quick nod, meant to convey that she shouldn’t worry about him. But of course, she would.
The rest of the council stood up and cleared out, shooting glances his way as they left. He would have liked it if the discussion to come would be held in front of all of them, but Caleb was council leader for now, and Tate didn’t want to start things off antagonistic right off the bat.
“Fine,” Tate replied, watching Caleb turn around and head for a room at the end of the hallway.
Tate followed, forcing his body to relax and his fists to unclench. This didn’t have to devolve into a fight. He could get Caleb to see reason. If he didn’t…
“Close the door,” Caleb said as they stepped into the room.
Tate bristled at the demanding tone, but did as was asked, almost stepping on a Barbie doll in the process. A small bed was pushed up against the back wall, unmade, the dinosaurs on the bedspread crinkled and the pillows strewn about.
Caleb stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed in front of him. His broad, muscular frame and the thunderous look on his face, juxtaposed by the pink princess wallpaper behind him would have struck Tate as funny, if the situation were different.
“What are you even thinking?” Caleb demanded, glaring at him. “You waltz in here, after months of nothing, not a single word, and start talking about amulets and hidden faces and goddamn demons? Let’s say you haven’t lost your mind. Do you even realize the danger you’ve put us in by dragging that girl here, if even a shred of what you’re saying is true?”
“Her name is Tessa,” Tate replied, his shoulders tensing.
“Not the point,” Caleb shot back.
